Close the Diversity Gap in Higher Ed Advancement By Recruiting Transferable-Skills Candidates
A Guide to Competency-Based Hiring for Colleges and Universities
Maria Vance, Senior Director, Strategic Research
Currently, advancement teams are out of sync with the demographics of students and young alumni. Unless deliberate action is taken to increase fundraiser diversity, advancement’s diversity gap will continue to grow. Increasing fundraiser diversity is a business imperative because if fundraisers do not look like their constituents, it will be difficult to build relationships, solicit gifts, and meet ever-ambitious campaign goals. Chief advancement officers must proactively respond to donor expectations of fundraiser diversity, especially as socially conscious millennials age into prime giving years.
Current efforts aren’t enough to significantly increase diversity of job candidates and new hires because there is a lack of diversity within the advancement industry. Transferable-skills candidates (TSCs) bring skills and competencies from related fields and provide an opportunity to increase advancement team diversity.
Advancement’s DEIJ hiring imperative
Today’s talent strategy is not enough
Advancement’s frontlines are notably homogenous. Fundraising is 83% white—which is about 21% less diverse than the overall U.S. workforce. During the 60+ research conversations EAB conducted on this topic, diversifying the workforce came up repeatedly as a top priority for advancement leaders. Simply put, current efforts aren’t enough to significantly increase diversity of job candidates and new hires.
Transferable-skills candidates (TSCs) offer a solution
Characteristics of a TSC
- Has skills and abilities necessary to be a successful fundraiser
- Has behavioral characteristics to be a successful fundraiser
- Provides new ideas and challenges the status quo
- Provides access to new professional networks and resources
- Lacks fundraising experience
Transferable-skills candidates (TSCs) bring skills and competencies from related fields that can make them a great fit for a fundraising position. Some transferable skills include marketing, public speaking, relationship building, negotiation, and project management.
Importantly, TSCs provide a potential opportunity to increase advancement team diversity. Several related professions, such as financial managers and sales associates, have promisingly diverse talent pools from which advancement leaders can recruit. Systematic out-of-industry recruitment is a way to not only attract more BIPOC candidates but gain the perspective of individuals with contrasting professional background.
Navigate recruitment roadblocks
Use development tactics to source diverse TSCs
Rutgers University systematically finds qualified TSCs by cultivating alumni from outside the advancement industry. Talent management aims to develop a pipeline of diverse out-of-industry frontline fundraisers.
The talent management team builds a pipeline of candidates using a three-step process that is similar to cultivating a donor. This Rutgers program has shown promise in creating a fruitful pipeline of qualified BIPOC candidates.
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Identify
- Create a list of diverse alumni with transferable skills via LinkedIn and other databases
- Narrow the list to alumni within an hour of campus
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Cultivate
- Engage alumni to assess their interest in a fundraising career
- Maintain contact with alumni via emails and newsletters
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Demonstrate
- Invite qualified alumni to participate in campus trainings for advancement staff, helping them see how their skills apply
- Debrief afterward to discuss relevant job openings and timelines
Key questions and action steps
Many advancement shops struggle to ensure that new hires feel supported, especially when onboarding out-of-industry hires. Advancement leaders must allocate time for talent management partners to onboard new hires properly so that their investment in new fundraisers has a sufficient ROI.
Institutions that successfully accelerate time to productivity do so by implementing support systems from day one, using diagnostics that pinpoint specific skill development, and providing real-world training.
Discussion questions for advancement leaders
- How can you adapt current onboarding initiatives to include tailored content for out-of-industry hires?
- Who is the best person in your shop to lead efforts for onboarding transferable-skills hires?
- Which individuals are good candidates for participating in shadow opportunities?
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